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Football: Blair making $$$ with trip to Brawley

For the third consecutive year, Blair High School makes a 400-mile round trip to play Brawley on Friday, and Vikings and Pasadena-area fans are asking the obvious question: why?

The answer is simple: money.

Blair’s trip to Brawley, which is an hour west of Yuma, Ariz., and just north of Mexicali, is in the third and final year of its agreement. Blair coach Gary Parks was in his first season three years ago when close friend and Brawley athletic director Bill Brewer called to ask if the Vikings would be interested in making the trip south.

In exchange, Blair gets charter buses for the trip, food and a $2,000 appearance fee, all paid for by Brawley’s football boosters, according to Parks.

“Financially it’s great,” Parks said. “It allows the kids to get out of the city for a day and do something different before we start (Rio Hondo) league. We use the trip as a bonding experience.”

Brawley, a cattle town where summer temperatures often are higher than 120 degrees, is the only high school in its district. The public school plays in the CIF-San Diego Section, and all of its nonleague opponents are at least an hour’s drive away, with Blair traveling the farthest. Brawley’s Imperial Valley League games aren’t any closer. The Wildcats’ first league game this season comes against Palo Verde Valley High in Blythe, which is an 89-mile drive one way.

Parks met Brewer through church, and they go back to when Parks was coaching football at Verbum Dei.

“We were always looking for one long road trip at Verbum Dei,” Parks recalled. “So when I came to Blair, I wanted to bring that aspect, too. (Brewer) knows we’re strapped for cash, and the money we get helps us get the things we need outside what PUSD (Pasadena Unified School District) has cut.”

Parks said he’d like to continue making the trip, but his principal “wants us to stay closer next year.”

I figured it was a contract thing. Miguel, you didn’t have any other pic of coach parks? that one makes him look evil lol.

Bob Anon

IMHO, as long as the guarantee money from Brawley exceeds any expenses of traveling to the game (a “profit”), Coach Parks should be allowed to schedule roadies to Brawley. However, after three consecutive road games, one would think the Brawley kids want to travel to Pasadena for a game.

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Now, on to the stadium. I drove by Blair for the first time today- the campus is cool, and the athletic fields are perched neatly below the hills.

Should PUSD and Blair ever construct a football stadium, it appears there won’t be much room for visitors’ bleachers on the east side, because there isn’t much room between that (dirt?) track and the bushes surrounding Marengo.

There should be some room for some home bleachers, although that would cut into left field of the baseball field.

I hope to heck that Blair gets its own football stadium. Again, fiscal issues may prevent it in the short-term.

kingofcali626

I thought Blair and Marshall were getting new football fields on campus this year ala Muir and Pasadena last year. I was thinking to myself too that when Parks said he wanted Blair to play on campus how would they fit it with the limited space and not to mention parking.

stangfan!

Lets go Vikings!!!! Go to Brawley and get A “W”. Pasadena is behind you.

Support these young men. They keep getting beat up, yet still are sticking tog. They are talented kids that could start winning if they had better direction.

Anonymous

I really hope they give Monrovia a fight

alumnus from the 70’s

Can’t we get a coaching crew at Blair that understands the level of preparation it takes to build a successful football program. Clearly, outsiders (those who did not graduate from Blair) don’t get this concept.

THEENDISNEAR

THE FACT THAT 50 CENTS IS LEFT OVER DOES NOT MAKE IT A PROFITABLE BUSINESS VENTURE.

MANY THINGS NEED TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION,

1-THE TRAVEL EFEECTS ON THE TEAM.

2-THE PSYCHOLOGICAL HANGOVER OF A 400 MILE A@# WHIPPING AND WHAT IT DOES TO YOUR TEAM.

3-AND COULD YOU HAVE HAD BETTER PREPARATION FOR YOUR TEAM THAT WEEKEND FOR UPCOMMING TOUGH OPPONENT.

I GUESS THE COACH AND HIS ASSISTANTS DONT CARE, THEY PLAN ON HAVING A NICE TRIP AND GETTING BEAT DOWN FOR A COUPLE HUNDRED BUCKS.

IF BRAWLEY WANTS TO BEAT UP ON A SPEED TEAM THEN I THINK ITS WORTH AT LEAST 4000.00

I CANNOT BELIEVE THE TALENT THAT WALKS INTO THIS PLACE AND HOW IT IS JUST SQUANDERED ON A YEARLY BASIS, AND BELIEVE ME I HAVE SEEN THE PLAYERS, ITS A SHAME.

kay jones

I SAY GOD BLESS THE FOOTBALL COACH. HE HAS VERY LITTLE TO WORK WITH EXCEPT THE PLAYERS.SO IF THEY GET A TRIP LET THEM GO. I THINK PARKS NEEDS A BONUS FOR ALL THE WORK HE DOES.KAY JONES

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